HB785: HB785 Crawford County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Crawford County to charge and collect a new technology fee. The judge of the probate court sets the exact amount, up to $5.00 for filing each civil action and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money collected can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying computer hardware and software, leasing and maintaining computer equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and converting court records to digital form for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account used only for these purposes. The authority to charge this fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Crawford County technology uses.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Crawford County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil filing.
• Authorizes a surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine assessed by the Probate Court of Crawford County.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records for public access.
• Requires the collected funds to be kept in a separate, segregated account used only for authorized technology purposes.
• Sets July 1, 2035 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Crawford County technology uses.

People who file civil actions in the Probate Court of Crawford County and people who are fined by that court will pay the new fee. The court clerk and judge administer it, and Crawford County's technology budget benefits from the funds it raises.

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a fine in the Crawford County Probate Court would pay a small additional fee, up to $10 combined in some cases, that funds computer equipment, digitizing records, and other court technology rather than coming from the county's general budget.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the fee, capped at $5.00 per civil filing and $5.00 per fine surcharge, with the exact amount set by the probate judge.
• Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: hardware and software purchases, equipment leasing and maintenance, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Crawford County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-04-30Effective Date 2025-04-30
2. 2025-04-30Act 37
3. 2025-04-30House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-27House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 27, 2025

   164 yea, 0 nay (12 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #317

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #339

• Crawford County
• probate court fees
• court technology
• local government funding